School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

The overall goal of the Soft Material Mechanics research group is to develop a better understanding of important structure-property-processing relationships in a wide range of soft materials and complex fluids, from hydrogel particles used to internally cure concrete to concentrated surfactant pastes used to create shampoos and detergents.

Characterizing the deformation and flow behavior - the rheology - of the materials by advanced measurement techniques is of primary interest, with an emphasis on understanding molecular-level phenomena.

Our work is motivated by fundamental knowledge gaps in the structure, properties, and performance of soft materials utilized in health care, personal care, infrastructure and advanced material applications.

Link to recent group overview poster